Hello Sergeant (Bucky Barnes)

Merry Christmas

Steve's POV

"It was my idea," I said, walking into the living room and sitting down beside Bucky and Sarah. "Buck and I talked about it a while back, not long before the reset. He didn't remember the conversation until I gave him his piece of your ring last week." I'd been so relieved that he had at least recalled that conversation, otherwise, I wouldn't have even considered of asking Sarah to marry me yet.

Sarah shifted so she was sitting on both of our laps and gave me a lingering kiss. "Thank you, Steve. I love you."

"Love you, too," I said, brushing a finger over her cheek. "I should probably be upset that it won't be a surprise, but I'm not."

I smiled at Bucky and he pulled me in for a hug. I kissed his cheek and he turned into me, capturing my lips with his own.  We broke apart to see Sarah watching us with a smile on her face. She kissed us both once and wriggled off our laps, heading to the kitchen. I turned to Bucky with a smile.

"How did you know she'd hesitate unless she knew you agreed?"

"A conversation we had once – about the future – when you were gone being a hero." A smile flitted across his lips and he shifted so he was facing me. "Until I'm free of my activation words, I'm a danger to both of you. If they get their hands on me again, at least this time you'll have her. You won't be alone this time, Steve."

I didn't want to even think about the possibility of Hydra capturing or controlling him just to strike at me. "They're not going to get a hold of you, Buck. Not if I have anything to say about it."

"I know, Steve. But as long as Hydra exists, there's that possibility and you know it."

I sighed, knowing he was right even if I didn't want to acknowledge that fact. "I don't want you going and doing anything stupid, Buck. I lost you once – it'll kill me to lose you again. In case you didn't know, I'd be lying if I said I could live this life without you." I rested my forehead on his, staring into his earnest cerulean eyes and stroking his stubbled cheeks. "I didn't do so great the first time I tried it."

He put his arms around me and pulled me close. "You ain't gonna lose me if I've got anything to say about it, Stevie. You had my heart a long, long time ago, back when you were a scrawny nobody that couldn't walk away from a fight for nothin'." His lips found mine and kissed me senseless the way only he could until the smell of coffee told us we weren't going to be alone for long.

I finally pulled back and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Buck. I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Stevie and I love you more."

"Not possible," I said with a grin. I kissed him once more before pulling him to his feet. "I think you love coffee more than me."

We laughed as we walked to the kitchen, my arm around his shoulders and his around my waist.

*           *                *

James' POV

It wasn't much later before Sarah's parents came downstairs and we went in the living room to open our presents. She'd given her ring to Steve so he could fit the two pieces together so the only ones who would know were the three of us.

Steve and I watched as we learned Sarah's Christmas traditions, everyone opens one gift at a time, starting with the oldest; it was hilarious that we were older than her parents. I picked my big gift first, tearing the paper from the large box to find a dog inside.

"He's a trained service dog, James." Sarah said as the yellow lab licked my face excitedly. "He's for helping you work through your PTSD and to be there when Steve and I can't be."

"Does he have a name?" I couldn't get him to settle long enough to read his tags.

"Lucky. Sam helped finish his training and has agreed to watch him when we all have to go on missions."   

 "I didn't think we could have pets in our building." I said, telling Lucky to sit. He did immediately, and I scratched behind his ears.

"Well, a pet, no. A registered service animal – that's another story. I talked to Mr Jones about it and he's agreed that Lucky can stay as long as he's not a nuisance to the other tenants. I talked to everyone else in the building and they've all agreed that a well trained, housebroken service animal is very different from a pet. Mrs Mounga's kids want you to know they'll help you take him for walks."

I laughed, thinking about the two boys on the floor below us. "I'm sure they will."

Steve opened his gift next, raising his eyebrows as he read the card that was in the box.

"What is it?" I asked, looking over his shoulder.

"A vacation, I think. Is this the one in Florida or California, doll?"

"Florida. Tell him, Steve." Sarah said, almost bouncing with excitement.

"We're going to Disney World in Florida, Buck! You, me, Sarah. Betty and Archie – you're on here too."

"I've always wanted to go there," Betty said, smiling at her husband. "Sarah, is this from you?"

She shook her head and smiled. "No, Tony and Pepper. I just made arrangements so we all got the time off. Your bosses both agreed to keep the secret for me until Christmas when I talked to them this fall."

"Well, that's very generous of Tony and Pepper," Archie said. "I suppose we've never had a family vacation with him, have we?"

"I think that's what he thought, too – especially now that they're engaged and I'll have two sets of parents."

"I'm guessing you put in for time off for us, too?" Steve asked, giving Sarah a kiss.

"Of course," she said, laughing. "Fury said wild horses couldn't drag him there and Maria agreed. I don't think they'd enjoy a theme park very much. Clint, Nat and Bruce are coming, too."

"What about Lucky?"   

"Of course he's coming with, James. I made arrangements for him, too. He can go some places because he's a service animal, but for others he'll be with a friend of mine who lives in Orlando."

Steve and I looked at each other and shook our heads in amazement. There was literally nothing this woman couldn't do!

Tony, Pepper, Bruce and Natalia showed up just as we finished opening gifts.

"Where's Clint?" I asked Natalia as I kissed her cheek in greeting while Tony and Pepper were talking to Sarah's parents and Bruce was talking to Sarah and Steve.

"He's at his brother Barney's house. Barney can't come home, so Clint thought he should be there for Christmas for his brother's wife, Laura, and their two kids. Laura's pregnant with their third child and Clint doesn't get to see his niece and nephew very much at the moment."

"Oh. Good for him. I didn't know he had a brother."

"He doesn't talk about him much; they don't get along well. Clint needed a couple days away after last weekend. What did you think of your gifts?"

"Lucky's great – he's for all of us, isn't he? Me, Steve, and Sarah."

"Yup. You've all got things to work through and Lucky's there to help you all. He's a really smart dog – he understands Russian, too."

"In case I lapse?" I asked.   

"Yes. I know you haven't in a while, but just in case."

I looked over at Lucky, who was dancing around the room excitedly, sniffing everyone. "<Sit, dog.>" I said, surprised to see him promptly sit and look at me expectantly.

Sarah was the closest to him, so she patted his head while she smiled at me. "<Good boy, Lucky. Why don't you go get dressed, James? We're expected at Jace's soon.>"

I saluted her jauntily and turned to go upstairs and get ready for the day.